Display apparatus.



F. JANEiiBK. DISPLAY APPARATUS, APPLICATION FILED JAN.13, 1911. 1 9 29 Patented Dec. 31, 1912. 0 2 j j a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

600000000000000000 0 m @0000 000000000 0 we O O (D F. JANBGEK. DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED .TAN.13, 1 11,

Patented Dec.31,191 2.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

zesscs F. 'JANEEK. DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1911.

1349.240? v Peitented Dec.3 1,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

(171' in esss c 'vwenlor ni iirn nrurrne. inirnur uni FEANZ JANEQ'JEK, 0F PRAGUE, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

bourol with a plurality of openings in which pistons operated by air are thrust toward thcsurfuce of tie hoard. vherchy to expose the ends to form various letters or symbols, the pistons being automatically Withdrawn when the air pressure is removed.

"lhc invcnti 1 conmrehenl'ls improvements in the (lctnils construction RIM i arrangement o parts: which will be hereinafter cleccrihcd uncl particularly pointeti out in the claims.

l urc :2 front elevation of my i1nproved display apparatus. lfigr. 2 a die-- 51min of a switch board employer} in connection with, my invention. Fig. is a detail View of sin crul oi ihc nisionn and the means for supporting them. Fig. 4- is a detail sec tion of u menus for pnemnuticeily operating the inclined pistons. ii is :1 detail verlirnl section of u modified. form of the invent ion. Fig. (i is a SPCl'lOZ') on the line w-;r., of Fig. 5. l 7 is u rliug rinn illustrating the electrical connections.

Fig. 8 is a detail section of a switch bouril Fig. 9 is :1 detail section of :1 writing hoax-(l. Fig, 10 is u lciuil \'l(\\' of :i metallic stylus.

1 indicates a board lliUlDfI openings 3?, to receive sleeves G, in which are mounted pisions 5. The actuation of these p tons in lhc ham-(l l is elicited from u swi on board 2). shown (1iagrummulicullv in Fig. 2.

...h.1s switch bcun'l generally? provided with :15 many electric contacts 4 for clcctro-inugncts or when for :i pneumatic installation or the like. as the bourrl 1 has holes or pistons. Such :1 contact. lcauses; the corresponding piston in the board 1 to move.

Fig. 3 illustrates the sleeves 6 obliquely arranged in the boarrl 1 so that the nistons fall by gravity to their normal or retracted position. the pistons, the latter are invisible. r

Fig. 4c shows one form of the invention for pneumatically actuating the pistons. In this case each sleeve 6 is connected by means Specification of Letters Patent.

By thuscbliqucly disposing of' Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

Application filed January 13. 1911. Serial! No. 602,466.

of a pipe 10 with a valve box 11 in which ing from s eonnnon OOHIDIEbSBCl air duct 13 may enter lhc slccvc and force the piston outward. When the valve is closed, the air contained in the sleeve escapes through a space formed between the piston wall and the inner "all of the sleeve and the piston assumes its normal position by gravity.

lln the device shown by Figs. 5 to 10 the cores 19 of the solenoids 20 (Fig. 5) which not at their lower end cone valves 21, are made of steel, so that when the solenoids are electrically excited, the said cores adhere to the metallic cover of the magnet cusing, owing LO their residual magnetism and this even in case the current does not circuiute in the winding of the solenoid. Under these conditions the air may continuously flow under the piston 5 in the sleeve 6 and hold the piston in its outward position without any consumption of electric current. When the piston 5 is to be brought back to its normalposilion :1 current having .21 c0rresponding intensity and an opposite direction is passed through the winding; the steel core 19 owing to its own weight falls buck on the valve seat. thuS shutting the air off so that the piston may return to its position of rest. Owing to this arrangement it becomes practically possible that the signs Written orclrawn on the switch board 5% (see the diagram shown by Fig. 7) innne- (liatcly appear on the show board 1, and may remain visible thereon as long as desircd. In. order to cause all pistons 5 forced outward to disappear-at the same time (for instance when the advertisement has to be changed), it will be advantageous, because all the cores 19 cannot have the some magnetic remanence, to cause the intensity of the (lemagnetizing current to increase gradually between suitable limits by inserting a. resistance whereby the required effect is obtained. The same result is also accomplished when the cores 19 are caused to fall by means of alternating current, in which which metallic contact board 26 contains as many contact pins 27 as there are contacts .28 on the switch board, so that the opposilely directed current or the alternating current circulates through all solenoids which ever may be those which have been energized. In order to obtain a sure contact between the contacts .28 of the switch board 3 and he contact pins 27 of the metallic contact board 26, the contacts of the switch board are yieldingly mounted, the small contact piston 28 being electrically connected by means of the spiral spring 2i) with the conducting wire 30. As the contact pins 27 are-pointed and press the contact pistons 28 down, the electric contact must be obtained with certainty. The spiral spring 29 is soldered at its top to the contact piston 28 and at its bottom to the contact piece 30 so that this entire contact device may be easily taken into pieces. Such yielding contact pistons 28 must also necessarily be employed in the case when it is desired to cause free hand writing or drawings or inscriptions or drawings made by means of printing types or the like to become visible on the show or display board 1. In the first instance a special writin board 32 (Fig. 9) is employed which is made from insulating material and contains metallic contact pins 33 which pass through the board 32. These pins form at their top a plane surface with the surface of the board while they project at their lower end from the board and correspond exactly to the contact pistons 28 of the switch board s.- This? writing board 32 is placed on the switch board 3 and it is then possible to write or draw on the board 32 by means of ametallic stylus 24 which is connected with one of the, poles of the source of electric current 34-. All motions which are performed by the writing stylus on the writing board are reproduced in exactly the same manner on the large show or display board, because the stylus while sliding over the surface of the writing board energizes the solenoids corresponding tothe shape of the writing or the drawing. In order to cause the writing or the drawing to remain visible in a lasting manner also on the writing board, for eventual corrections and so on, one employs such a writing style which leaves behind it visible traces which however may be etfaced; for this purpose a metal style may be suitably employed which for instance has at its point a star shaped section (Fig. 10) which may be dipped into a color; the style may also be made hollow and the point provided with a small hole through which the color flows on the writing board during the writing.

-For advertisements which have to be repeated several times type may be provided 'which are similar to the contact board 26,

the contact pins 27 being removable and adapted to be inserted in such a manner in the board that they represent the requiredshow board and to obtain at the same time the limitation of their stroke each piston is secured by means of a chain 35 or the like with a correspondingly heavy body 36 which is introduced first into the sleeve so that it falls down in the latter iiiitil it reaches the bottom 37 whereafter the piston 5 is in turn inserted into the sleeve. The length of the chain 35 is such that when it is tensioned, it allows the front side o of the piston to project from the sleeve; The body 37 is provided with an air passage 38 and is heavy enough to allow the compressed air to push the piston upward only to the dis ,tance allowed by the chain 35. As soon as the compressed air supply is cut oil", the piston owing to its own weight, slides downward until it comes into contact with the body 36.

The solenoids 20 with their cores 19 are arranged in one or more rows on a common compressed air duct 13 and each valve 21 is connected by means of a flexible pipe 40 with the corresponding sleeve 6. The air contained in the compressed air duct 13 enters through the hole 41 at the cone of the valve. One pole of each solenoid 20 .is

connected with a contact of the switch board 3 by means of an insulated wire 42, while the other pole is connected with a common wire which is connected with one of the poles of the source of electric current- 34. The other pole of the source of current is connected according to whether it is desired to write or draw hand free by means of the writing stylus 2.4 or to produce by means of type l repeated advertisements or still to cause by means of the contact board 26 the advertisement to disappear for a mo ment from the show or display board 1, either with the writing stylus 24 or with the type 44; or finally with the contact board 26. The poles of the source of current are connected with the circuit changing switch 45 so as to enable the operator to send through the solenoids 20 currents having the desired polarity. The diagram of com nections just described is also employed when the device is operated by electromagnetic means alone.

In order to allow the rain water which possibly might have penetrated into the obliquely arranged sleeves (Fig. to again esca e therefrom each sleeve is provided at its lowermost place with a draining open ing through which the water flows OE and is conducted by means of a small pipe into a common pipe 16 which is provided with a closing device.

In order to economize a special writing board 32 and to be able to easily clean the spring contacts of the switch board 3 Fig. 8) this switch board may be made in two piecesby sectioning it on line m w. When the upper part is taken or slid oil", the lower part 31 may be employed as a writing board! v I Having now fully described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A. display apparatus comprising a lurality of inclined board formed with a openings, pistons slide ly arranged in the incline openings, pneumatic means for individually sliding the pistons toward the free outer end of the openings, said means including sliding valves, means for holding the valves in open position, and means in the inclined openings for-limiting the outward movement of the sliding pistons.

2. Adisplay apparatus comprising a show board formed with a plurality of oblique openings, pistons slidingly arranged in said oblique openings and adapted to slide back .ward therein by gravity so as to be invisible when in their withdrawn position, and pneumatic means for causing the said pis tons to move individually outward, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a device of the kind described the combination with a show board, of a plu rality of-guide sleeves provided in said show board, a piston slidingly engaged in each of said guide sleeves, a eavy body loosely engaged in said piston sleeve, a flexible member adapted-to connect the said body with saidipisto'n, and means for admitting compressed air under the said piston to force the latter outward for the distance allowed by the said flexible member, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

1. In a device of the kind described the combination with a show board provided with a plurality of guide sleeves, a piston,

slidingly engaged in each of said guide sleeves, a compressed air device ada ted to actuate the said pistons, and means or, cons trolling the said compressed air device,

-board provided wit l'openings, weighted pistons arranged in the 'openm s,-nieans for sliding the pistons toward t eouter ends of the openings to expose the ends of the pistons, the pistons at the outer ends of the openings, the pistons assuming their normal withdrawn position b gravity when'the holding means isrelease 6. A displa apparatus comprising. a board provided wit a. plurality of inclined, openings pistons arranged in the openings, weights i in the openings, means connecting the weights to the pistons, pipes communicat ing with-the openings and the passages: in the weights, means for supplying the pipes with compressed air, a shding valve for each pipe to control the air, means for operating the sliding valves, and means for holding the valves in open position.

7. A display apparatus comprisin a board provided with a plurality of inclmedopen end sleeves, pistons arranged inthe sleeves, means for forcing the" pistons iii) the open ends of the sleeves, the pistons re-' turning to normal position by gravity, and means fdr limltmg the outwar movement and holding ornied with passages and mounted of the pistons to expose their ends at the open ends of the sleeves.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my handin presence of 'twowitnesses.

FRANZJANECEK.

Witnesses:

Mrnoenhv HnUBiZ', CHARLES J. ZAKosTELaoKY. 

